Wall-table cabinet



Dec. 28 1926.

C. W. LANNOM WALL TABLE CAB I NET File d Nov. 3,

1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

ATITORNESI/ Dec. 28, 1926. 1,612,132

c.,w. LANNOM WALL TABLE CABINET Filed'Nov. 5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet ii J INVENTOR.

Patented Dec. 28, 1926.

" UNITED STATES 1, 12,132 PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE W. LANNOM, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

WALL-TABLE CABINET.

Application filed November 3, 1924. Serial No. 747,403.

This invention relatesto wall-table cab inets, and especially to cabinets for installation in apartments, flats and rooms wherein floor space is limited and consequently must be used to the greatest and maximum advanta e.

in important object of my invention is the provision of a cabinet having a foldi.ng panel formed as a part thereof which may be lowered to form the table for the room, and when not in use may be swung to an upright position and out of way, thus permitting the floor area just occupied by the table tobe used again for other serviceable purposes. I

Another object is the manufacture of the cabinet as a piece of furniture for recesslng in, or to be built in the walls of the structure to conserve additional floor space. Another object is the provision of unique and novel means for supportingthe table member in the cabinet and the'manner of lowering it to a position extremely rig d.

Another object is ,the provision of means for concealing the working parts of the table from view and interference, making available uninterrupted maximum storage space in the cabinet.

Another object is to supportthe panel in its. normal vertical position by pins fixed in the cabinet; and to support the panel in its lowered position by side bars pivoted on the pins and having extensions abuttlng a rigid sto a 1 further object is to form grooves in the sides of the cabinet of predetermined shape, and to provide the table member with means to engage the grooves, such, that inthe lowering of the table to position the grooves Wlll cause the table to be pushed outward to make the full area of table available for use.

And a still further object is the .provision in a cabinet of the above type, of a table having no legs nor braces thereunder of any kind, thereby eliminating foot, knee and broom obstruction. v

- In addition to the above broader features of the invention, there are certain details of design, whereby compactness, durability of structure, and positiveness and ease of operation are attained, and which details are shownon the accompanying two sheets of drawings illustrating the present embodiment of my invention, and what I claim as new, is particularly pointed out in the appended claims follow'ng this specification.

19 of the cabinet.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front view ofthe cabinet as it appears when closed.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the cabinet taken, on the line 22 of Fig. 1 and drawn'to a largerscale. The panel is shown swung to the table position. The dot-and-dash lines represent the panel in an angular descending position. 1'

Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-section of Fig. 2 along the line 33 thereof: and Fig. 4: is a similar section thereat but enlarged for clarity.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the table unit of Fig. 4. The dot-and-dash figure isthe pin plate of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front view of 4 along. the line (i -6 thereof; the scale is greatly enlarged. i

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary front view, on an enlarged scale. of the, corner of the cabinet directly thereabove. the. door thereat being removed to show clearly the position of the side bar extension, the panel being in closed position,

Fig.8 is a perspective view, on a reduced scale. of the open cabinet as it appearspartially recessed or built in a wall. 0

Advertiug to the drawings and figures thereof: Thenumeral 9 represents the cabinet in general and as having any desired number of shelves 10 therein, and conventional upper and lower compartments 11 and 12; and which compartments may ,have hinged doors 13 and 14 forming part of the front of the cabinet. The balance of the front consists of a suitably shaped panel 16,

pivotally supported in the cabinet by pins 17 projecting from a plate 18 recessed and secured to the cabinet sides 19 as by screws 20. Fig.

To each side edge of the panel is recessed and secured a metallic bar 21, having one end 22 extended a distance substantially equal to that of the depth of the cabinet for supporting purposesas will be described. A portion of each bar near the extension 22 is slotted or grooved as at 23 to receive the pin 17, the groove being of sufficient length to accommodate the sliding movement of the panel over the pin in the loweringof the panel" to form the table. At the extremity of each extension a roller 24 is attached, Fig. 4, serving as a projection and guide to ride in a groove 25 preferably parab'c'lic in shape, Fig. 2, formed in each side A shelf 26 usable also for a stop or abutment is secured in the cabinet adjacent the pins 17, in a position that will determine the and limiting position of the inet between the shelf 26 and the bottom of the cabinet spaced from the sides 19 to freely incase the extensions 22, thereby permitting a maximum amount of space to be utilized as storage without danger of the moving extensions catching or interfering with the stored or deposited-goods in any way; also the working parts will be obscured from View. Part of the partition boards is cut away as at 28, Fig. 2, to allowfor clearance of the end 29 of the panel in its movement from .onevposition to the other. i

The. panel in its vertical or closed position rests on thelower shelf 30 and also abuts and conceals the shelves.

When it is desired to utilize the cabinet as a table, the handle 31 is pulled and the panel 16 moves outwardly and downwardly,

slowly and firmly, guided at one extremity by the rollers 24 riding in the parabolic grooves 25, and the panel side bars 21 sliding and pivoting on the pins 17 until the at-rest or table position of the panel is reached, by reason of the extensions 22 abutting the under-surface of the stop-shelf 26. The table in this position is most rigid and stable and without any lateral play. It will be observed that thetable is entirely free of legs and angular braces of any sort for supporting the table outside of the cabinet, and this ac complishment permits a much desired freedom of the feet thereunder. Also it will be observed that the full surface of the table is usable although the pivot point of the panel when closed assumes a position well above the end of the panel. The long parabolic groove enables one to easily reach the end of the panel and permits the movement of the same to be easily controlled.

The fact should not be overlooked that, in swinging the panel to a vertical or to a horizontal position, a person is rendered a most valuable aid by means of the parabolic grooves 25, which during the panels swinging movement automatically guide the rollers 24 in a manner especially intended to minimize his labor and .to economize his strength. Probably this is best understood by reference to Figure 2, in which one groove 25 is indicated by two dotted lines representing respectively the outer and the inner periphery of the groove. For the purpose of further explanation I shall refer tothe outer periphery as the outer side wall, and to the inner periphery as theinner side wall of the groove. The dotted lines in Figure 2 illustrate clearly how the curvature of each groove 25 is gradually increased from the upper end of the groove until it is greatest age.

against the outer side walls increases in proportion as the panel approaches its horizontal position, and in proportion as the weight of the panel may have a tendency to increase the speed of the panels swinging movement towards the horizontal position. It is therefore evident that very little effort is required to initiate the panels swinging movement from the vertical to the horizontal position, and, as the panel is swung still farther from the vertical position, the weight of the panel assists the swinging movement,

while at the same time, being automatically V guided in their continuously curved paths from a nearly horizontal initial movement to a movement that is gradually approaching one nearly verticaltowards the tennination of the path, the rollers cause an easy forward, sliding movement of the panel until it has assumed the horizontal position. It is thus seen that the parabolically curved paths of the rollers are an aid to a moderately speedy movement of the panel to its horizontal position, but, if. for any. reason a-force should .be applied that has a tendency to increase the speed of the swinging movement beyond the moderate limit, such as, for instance, by a persons' accidentally losing control of the panel and permitting it to swing outwardly and downwardly by its own weight, the rollers 24 willbear with corre spondingly increased pressure against the outer side walls of the respective grooves and thereby preventa too hasty descent of the panel to the horizontal position and thus safeguard the wall-table cabinet from dam- Conversely, it should be observed that, when an initial swinging movement is made of the panel from its horizontal towards its vertical position, the initial movement of the rollers 24 in their respective grooves is nearly vertical, or downward and slightly forward, the rollers then having a tendency to press against the innerside walls of the grooves, thus aiding the inward sliding movement of the panel until a point is reached when the weight of the panel will cause the rollers again to bear against the outer side walls of the grooves, in the curved paths of which in the meantime the rollers are automatically guided from the nearly vertical movement to a movement that is gradually approaching one nearly horizontive even if the path of travel for the endof the board had been changed from a straight to a curved one.

It has also been shown in the previous art that aswinging member has vbeen provided with slots in each of its side walls and that panel arranged on a rod has been extended through the slots froma support on each side of the member for pivotally securing the member to the supports. By this means the end of the member has been caused to travel in a circular path, but no suggestion has been made of means that would pull the member forwardly or push itinwardly simultaneously with the swinging of the member to the respective horizontal or vertical position, as the case, may be, and also would be automatically operated by the swinging of the member. In such a swinging member, the pushing or pulling is accomplished only by manual operation. Moreover, the pivotal rod also has been found to be an obstruction, as it would not permit the storing of goods back of the swinging member, when the member has been swung to the vertical position.

It is thus clear that my invention .of table cabinets having the pivotal means for the a single axis, and the means for guiding the end of the panel in a path so as to produce automatically a-forward and inward sliding movement of the panel by the swinging of the panel and simultaneously with the panels swinging in the previous art means board in astraight path advanta over the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1'. A wall-table cabinet comprising a structure of shelving and a front panel adapted to fold and conceal the shelving when in movemerrggis distinctly novel and has great closed position; e'achside of the cabinet provide'd with a fixed pivot-pin, said pins ing in axial alignment and each side edge of the panel provided with a member attached thereto and extending beyond one end thereof, grooves formed in the unextended portion of the member for the reception of the pins, the latter pivotally and slidably supporting the panel, one of said shelves secured. n the cabinet adjacent said pins for the abutment to the underside thereof of the said extensions to determine the horizontal position of the panel, the said positioned panel forming the table of the structure and the end of each extension provided with a roller adapted to roll each side of the cabinet to guide the panel automatically in its sliding movement; and partition boards secured in the cabinet near the saidisi'des ,to incase the said extensions? and rollers to prevent interference from 7 goods that may be stored in the cabinet space between said partition boards.

2. In a wall table cabinet having a front opening, a fixed pivot said'opening and tical alignment'with the bottom edge of said opening, a panel member for said opening, extensions upon the sides of said panel member extending into'said cabinet and having grooves therein in which said pivot adapted to slide, projections upon t e ends of said extensions and tracks within said cabinet with which said projections cooperate to lower the bottom edge of said panel pin at each side of member to the bottom of sa1d opening when 90 raised totertical position and to extend said panel member away from said cabinet whenlowered to horizontal position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. f

CLARENCE w. LANNOM.

in a groove formed in located above and in verins are 

